Junior Defeats Second Consecutive Top 70 Player to Reach Semifinal Match

BLACKSBURG, Va.- George Washington men's tennis junior Francisco Dias knocked off his second straight top 70 opponent to reach the 2013 USTA/ITA Atlantic Regional Championships main draw singles quarterfinals, but he ultimately fell in a three-set battle to end his run on Monday afternoon at Virginia Tech's Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center.

Dias, who is ranked the No. 94 singles player in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), reached the semifinal match of the annual tournament after defeating No. 66 Andreas Bjerrehus of Virginia Tech in a three-set thriller in which two of the sets were decided by tiebreakers. Dias dropped the first set to Bjerrehus, 6-7 (10), then rebounded, 7-6 (6), 6-3, to claim the quarterfinal match.

In his second contest of the day and third straight match against a nationally ranked player, the Lisbon, Portugal product won the first set over Old Dominion's No. 59 Carlos Lopez Villa, 6-4, but dropped the remaining two sets by tight 5-7, 6-7 (1) scores to wrap ITA Atlantic Regional action.

Dias and GW closed the fall season and will return to action in 2014. The Colonials will immediately be put to the test as they open the spring season with a match against No. 41 BYU on Monday, Jan. 20.